The Blessing of Two Planets by Tammy C. Smith 22 January 2019

This morning, I awoke, as my custom, at the predawn hours. It was approximately 4:30 A.M.. As my bed faces south east, my attention was drawn immediately to a brilliant light in the starlit sky. It was the brightest star, by far, that I had ever seen in my lifetime. Low on the horizon, it pulsed so brightly, I wasn't even certain if it was natural. UFO's, space stations, and other images crossed my mind before I set about solving the mystery. Referring to a daily subscription I receive in my email, I checked the earthsky.org website which keeps me informed on sky activity. Sure enough, the bright light was a celestial phenomena. It was a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus. Their timely angles to one another and the elongation of Venus's position to the sun, made the two planets appear as one, in conjunction. As Jupiter and Venus are the two brightest points in our sky next to the moon and sun, together the light they projected was stunning, otherworldly. While watching the event take place in the dark moonlit sky (a super blood wolf full lunar eclipse moon only hours before), to watching the planets sparkle through the blue of dawn above the orange glow of the skyline, I was mystified.

Certainly, I had to wake Tim up for the interstellar show. We admired the planets' conjunction through his binoculars and saw it as doubly awesome. This degree of brilliance from Jupiter and Venus joining will not occur again until January 29, 2043. By then we will both most certainly be dead, so I felt a need to share the experience with him. I even group texted my family, waking them all up with text alerts at 5 A.M.! Lori responded immediately with a "Wow!" Rachel responded later with a picture of the planet conjunction taken from her kitchen window.

What a true blessing this early morning sight was to witness. Dear, Father in Heaven, thank you for the opportunity to see such a marvelous celestial event. Thank you for prompting me to share it with those I love, as next time we see the planets join to produce such a brilliant light, many of us will be sharing the radiant view with you in Your most Holy Kingdom.

"A Blessing of Two Planets"

When Jupiter and Venus shine
Together like a diamond mine
And if as one these planets view
May fortune's flame alight on you.

by Tammy C. Smith
Copyright: 22 January 2019

The Exodus of January by Tammy C. Smith, 20 January 2019

"The Exodus of January"

by Tammy C. Smith

20 January 2019

The dreary days of January

drag

like the forty years in the

desert

when the Israelite's saw no

end.

Thirty-one days the winter

month

confines us inside insulated

walls

surviving by eating days old

manna.

But as Moses promised God’s

people

a light to lead them out of the

darkness,

we sit before our TV sets

awaiting

prophecies of sunshine from

forecasters.

To find joy in the gray of

January

is like finding the Arc of the

Covenant

from the calendar start

life

tastes as blandly as unleavened

bread.

So slow and thick January snow

falls

in inconvenient heaps as if

maggots

mounting on leftovers

clogging

streets and parking lots. 

Until the pressure builds from 

sub-zero 

cold, and potholes part like the 

Red Sea

testing patience on commutes as

snowplows

shovel salt, flakes of frost, on the

earth.

As undead, we face January’s

contagions.

Soot from forced air furnaces

release

dust mites, the plague of

gnats.

The perfect storm of allergens,

January

leaves no unbelievers untouched

biting

cold and hardened hearts to let

go.

Noah's Trust in God

In starting the new year, I am back to the beginning of another year reading the Bible through its completion, the alpha to the omega. I look forward to going deeper into my understanding of the word of God and expressing the holy messages contained in my day to day living.

In rereading Genesis, I'm struck by how quickly the world had become so evil in such a short amount of time, nine generations I counted from Adam to Noah's sons. God's masterpiece corroded quickly after Eve was tempted in the Garden of Eden. In fact, the world must have become an abominable place for God to have felt the need to destroy it by Noah's time. Luckily, God chose Noah as the world's one last chance. Described in the Bible as a man who was blameless among the people and who walked with God, Noah followed God's commands.  He trusted that God would guide him, his family, and the creatures of the earth who boarded the ark to safety in spite of the massive destruction that surrounded them.

Why had people become so evil? It would seem that God's people had everything they could possibly need by the Biblical evidence that people were living to the ages of 700 to 900 years old! However, in Genesis 8: 21, God says that every inclination of man's heart is evil from childhood. But despite the world's corruption, God in his ultimate forgiveness stated never to destroy "all living creatures" as he had done again.

Noah had great faith. It is clear by his willingness to create the mammoth ark and obey God's unconventional ultimatum. Living in apocalyptic times, Noah literally became the caretaker for the future of the earth. With great courage, beyond any courage that I could ever imagine, since I am the veritable cowardly lioness, Noah stepped out into the unfamiliar. He placed greater trust than is ever called upon in God and God's promise to guide him.

Ergo, Noah was given the unfamiliar task of mastering a colossal ship through torrential storms into uncharted territory. During the long months adrift at sea, Noah continued to wait for the signs from God that their journey had ended. The white dove is symbolic here; just as it was the messenger for Noah of God's faithfulness to bring the ark to dry land, several thousand years later the dove once again became the messenger of God's faithfulness when the Holy Spirit in the image of a dove descended upon Jesus at His Baptism (Matthew 3:16). Here we see once again, God's promise in the sign of a dove to deliver us from sin, this time through His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. At the core of our faith is this message of the dove. Noah trusted in it, and we are to trust in it.

Why can't I have half the faith of Noah? When life becomes unfamiliar, I cling tooth and nail to what I know. My trust in God is weak as I fail to release my grip on the things that have a hold on me . . . I fear letting go of my current lifestyle to fulfill a greater purpose God has for me. It is clear that there are habits, as all of us have, which I need to let go - generally wasting the precious time I have on this earth on meaningless activities. Like Noah, I must trust in the Lord, move from my current state of paralysis, and walk with God to wherever He may lead me.

Through prayer, I ask You, Father in Heaven, take my hand and escort me over the ramparts of my fear. Help me to commit myself to Your will in all things as did Your faithful son Noah. Give me the wisdom, understanding, and courage for the mission You have for me on this earth. As I follow Your path, Lord, remind me always to reach out to others with love, encouragement, and solace. Allow Your joy to shine through me in all my interactions with others, even when I'm shown unpleasantness in return. 

As we are all called to discipleship, in this mission let me begin each day recalling Your words, dear Jesus, "How many burdens can you lighten this year?  How many hearts can you cheer? How many souls can you help?" (God Calling, Two Listeners,16).